1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to sheet feed devices which comprise a tray for storing a stack of sheets therein, a feed roller configured to move toward and away from a bottom surface of the tray and to feed a sheet from the stack in the tray, and a separation member configured to separate the sheet fed by the feed roller from the stack of sheets. The invention also relates to image recording apparatus comprising such sheet feed devices.
2. Description of Related Art
A known sheet feed device, e.g., the sheet feed device described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2006-206220, is used in a known image recording apparatus, such as a printer, a facsimile device, or both. The known sheet feed device includes a feed roller positioned at a free end of a pivotable arm, a tray for storing a stack of sheets therein, an inclined separation plate positioned at a downstream end of the tray in a sheet feed direction, and a substantially U-shaped feed path extending between the separation plate and a recording unit. As the feed roller rotates while contacting an uppermost sheet of the stack in the tray, the separation plate separates the uppermost sheet from the stack in the tray, and the uppermost sheet is fed via the U-shaped feed path to the recording unit.
In a known inkjet recording apparatus, the separation plate has a plurality of separation portions positioned in the sheet feed direction, and a roller positioned on each lateral side of the highest one of the separation portions, eg. the most downstream one of the separation portions. The distance by which each separation portion projects from the inclined surface of the separation plate is substantially equal to the distance by which each roller projects from the inclined surface of the separation surface.
In such sheet feed device, however, a sheet surface may be damaged by some of the separation portions positioned lower than the rollers especially when a sheet having a relatively high rigidity is fed from a relatively low stack of sheets in the tray.